FIFA World Cup Preview: Brazil Train Guns on 'Revamped and Revived' Mexico

A year after his team struggled to beat old rival Mexico in the Confederations Cup, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari is bracing for another tough time when the two sides meet in the World Cup on Tuesday.

File photos of Mexicos forward Javier Hernandez (L) and Brazils forward Neymar.

© AFP

The match comes with both teams having their eyes set on a place in the second round after making winning starts in Group A. With Brazil beating Croatia 3-1 and Mexico edging Cameroon 1-0, the winner will advance to the round of 16 if Cameroon and Croatia draw on Wednesday in Manaus.

Brazil labored to a 2-0 victory in the 2013 warm-up tournament, sealing the victory with a late second goal in a match which was also played in Fortaleza and was also the second game of a group stage.

"We know that it's never easy when we play Mexico," Scolari said. "It's always very even. Brazil's second goal against them in the Confederations Cup wasn't scored until late in the second half. It's always difficult."

Mexico has won seven of the last 15 matches against the five-time world champion, including two of the last four. And to make it even more challenging for Brazil, Mexico has changed a lot since the teams last faced each other.

"We can't forget that Mexico's national team has had three coaches in the last 12 months," Scolari said. "That means they also changed the way they play. The team that will play here is not the same that played us in the Confederations Cup. It's going to be a lot different."

Scolari noted that Mexico has been revamped after Miguel Herrera took over the team in the final stages of World Cup qualifying last year.

"The players will remain with the same characteristics, but their positioning will change with a new coach," Scolari said.

Herrera took over El Tri after the team struggled in qualifying, but he helped the team advance to the Brazil tournament and was officially named coach in January this year.

"He organized his team very well and he knows how to motivate his players," said Scolari, who is trying to repeat as champion after leading Brazil to the World Cup title in 2002.

Brazil's last loss to Mexico came in the final of the 2012 Olympics in London, when the Brazilians — led by Neymar and Oscar — were trying to win the nation's first gold medal in football.

Fifa World Cup Brazil 2014: Crazy fan watch, Day 5

June 16, Day 5

A group of Ghana fans get in a festive mood at halftime gathered with US fans to follow the action off a big screen from the pier at Hermosa Beach, California on June 16, 2014, as the United States defeated Ghana 2-1 in their first round World Cup match in Brazil. (AFP)

Iranian and American soccer fans pose for the picture holding their national flags during a live broadcast of the World Cup match between Iran and Nigeria, inside the FIFA Fan Fest area on Copacabana beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, June 16, 2014. (AP)

Soccer fans celebrate Germany's victory at the end of a live broadcast of the World Cup match between Portugal and Germany, inside the FIFA Fan Fest area on Copacabana beach, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, June 16, 2014. Germany routed Portugal 4-0 in their group G opener on Monday. (AP)

Fans watch the 2014 Brazil World Cup Group G soccer match between Ghana and the U.S. at a viewing party in Hermosa Beach, California June 16, 2014. (REUTERS)

Michelle Lopez, 14, (R) and her brother Erick Lopez, 12, watch the 2014 Brazil World Cup Group G soccer match between Ghana and the U.S. at a viewing party in Hermosa Beach, California June 16, 2014. (REUTERS)

Fans watch the 2014 Brazil World Cup Group G soccer match between Ghana and the U.S. at a viewing party in Hermosa Beach, California June 16, 2014. (REUTERS)

Fans cheer during the 2014 World Cup Group G soccer match between Ghana and the U.S. at a viewing party in Hermosa Beach, California June 16, 2014. (REUTERS)

U.S.A fans wait at half time for the 2014 World Cup Group G soccer match between Ghana and the U.S. at the Dunas arena in Natal June 16, 2014. (REUTERS)

Fans of the U.S. wait for the 2014 World Cup Group G soccer match between Ghana and the U.S. at the Dunas arena in Natal June 16, 2014. (REUTERS)

Soccer fans, many supporting Germany, raise their arms and cheer at the FIFA Fan Fest area on Copacabana beach, after Thomas Mueller scored Germany's fourth goal against Portugal on Monday, June 16, 2014  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during Germany's World Cup soccer match with Portugal.(AP)

 

June 15, Day 4

Ecuador soccer fans arrive at the national stadium to watch their team play Switzerland in a 2014 World Cup match, in Brasilia June 15, 2014.  (REUTERS)

Fans of Switzerland cheer during the 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match against Ecuador at the Brasilia national stadium in Brasilia, June 15, 2014. (REUTERS)

France fans pose before the 2014 World Cup Group E soccer match between France and Honduras at the Beira Rio stadium in Porto Alegre June 15, 2014. (REUTERS)

Fans take photos as Argentina's national soccer players arrive ahead of their 2014 World Cup Group F soccer match against Bosnia at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro June 15, 2014. (REUTERS)

Fans wait for the 2014 World Cup Group F soccer match between Argentina and Bosnia at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, June 15, 2014. (REUTERS)

Bosnian fans celebrate a goal against Argentina during the 2014 World Cup soccer match against Argentina, at the main square in Sarajevo June 16, 2014. Argentina won 2-1 in their opening Group F match on Sunday at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. (REUTERS)

The bus carrying the Brazilian team is surrounded by fans outside the Granja Comary training center in Teresopolis Brazil, Sunday, June 15, 2014. Brazil plays in group A of the 2014 soccer World Cup. (AP)

Soccer fans smile as they wait for the start of  the group E World Cup soccer match between Switzerland and Ecuador at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, June 15, 2014. (AP)

Bosnian fans cheer during a Group F football match between Argentina and Bosnia-Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014. (AFP)

Fans wait for the start of a Group F football match between Argentina and Bosnia Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014. (AFP)

Argentina's fans cheer before the Group F football match between Argentina and Bosnia-Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014. (AFP)

Argentina's fans kiss a fake trophy before for the Group F football match between Argentina and Bosnia-Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014. (AFP)

Argentina's fans cheer before the Group F football match between Argentina and Bosnia-Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014. (AFP)

Argentine fans cheer for their team before the start of a Group F football match between Argentina and Bosnia Hercegovina at the Maracana Stadium in Rio De Janeiro during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 15, 2014. (AFP)

French fans cheer before the group E World Cup soccer match between France and Honduras at the Estadio Beira-Rio in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Sunday, June 15, 2014.  (AP)

June 14, Day 3

Costa Rica fans cheer as they watch the 2014 World Cup Group D soccer match between Costa Rica and Uruguay at the Castelao arena in Fortaleza June 14, 2014. (REUTERS)

Italy fans celebrate after Italy won their Group D football match against England at the Amazonia Arena in Manaus during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 14, 2014. (AFP)

A man driving a Beetle painted with the colors of the Brazilian flag drives by Argentine fans gathering at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday June 14, 2014. (AP)

Italian fans cheer before the group D World Cup soccer match between England and Italy at the Arena da Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil, Saturday, June 14, 2014. (Antonio Calanni)

  

Fans wait before the 2014 World Cup Group D soccer match between England and Italy at the Amazonia arena in Manaus June 14, 2014. (REUTERS)

Uruguayan soccer fans watch an open air broadcast of the 2014 World Cup Group D soccer match between Costa Rica and Uruguay in Montevideo June 14, 2014. (REUTERS)

Italian national football team fans arrive to the Arena Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil, on June 14, 2014, for the FIFA World Cup 2014 match against England. (AFP)

Japanese football fans pose prior to a Group C football match between Ivory Coast and Japan at the Pernambuco Arena in Recife during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 14, 2014. (AFP)

Japanese fans cover protect themselves from the rain prior to the start of a Group C football match between Ivory Coast and Japan at the Pernambuco Arena in Recife during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 14, 2014. (AFP)

Japanese football fans pose prior to a Group C football match between Ivory Coast and Japan at the Pernambuco Arena in Recife during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 14, 2014. (AFP)

Japan fans cheer prior to the start of a Group C football match between Ivory Coast and Japan at the Pernambuco Arena in Recife during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on June 14, 2014. (AFP)

Soccer fans pose in front of a giant screen during the World Cup football match Italy vs England in central Rome's Piazza Venezia on June 14, 2014. (AFP)

World Cup 2014 : Mueller hat-trick leads Germany to 4-0 win over Ronaldo's Portugal

Thomas Mueller scored a hat trick as Germany turned on its style and power to rout 10-man Portugal 4-0 in their World Cup Group G opener on Monday.

Mueller, who scored five goals in the 2010 World Cup, was ruthless against a weak Portugal team that was clearly outplayed despite the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

"To score three goals in the World Cup opener against such an opponent is great," Mueller said.

With Chancellor Angela Merkel supporting in the stands, the German team celebrated its 100th World Cup match with a rousing victory that was virtually assured by halftime.

Mueller celebrates after scoring his third goal. (Reuters Photo)

"After 20 minutes, we looked up at the clock and thought it was going to be a long day," Mueller said. "But we got into the match very well and when you lead by 2-0 in this heat and then even get the third, it was all over."

Germany always aims to have an impressive start and it certainly did this time. Four years ago, it started with a 4-0 win over Australia and reached the semifinals.

What must be worrying for Germany's opponents is the apparent ease with which Joachim Loew's lineup disposed of the fourth-ranked team in the world. Germany next faces Ghana on June 21 and the United States on June 26.

Germany coach Joachim Loew said his team implemented his game plan very well, winning the ball in midfield and then quickly attacking. Mueller scored either side of Mats Hummels' headed goal as Germany took a 3-0 lead at the break, and added his third goal in the 81st.

Portugal's Pepe , left, puts his head on Germany's Thomas Mueller(AP photo)

Ronaldo started at Arena Fonte Nova after overcoming a knee injury. He faded after threatening early in the match, including a shot from a break that Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could only block, but there was nobody from Portugal to pounce on the rebound.

"We lost the game already in the first half," Portugal coach Paulo Bento said. "We couldn't come back in the second. Germany played very well, we couldn't do anything."

Portugal was already 2-0 down before Pepe was red carded in the 37th minute for apparently head-butting Mueller when the German player was sitting on the ground. Pepe had stuck his hand into Mueller's face and the German went down.

"I got hit but after that I am not really sure what happened," Mueller said.

Germany's Mats Hummels (5) and teammate Benedikt Hoewedes (4) celebrate Hummels' goal(AP photo)

It was Mueller who opened the scoring in the 12th minute after Mario Goetze had been pulled down by Joao Pereira in the box, coolly slotting the penalty kick into the right corner of Rui Patricio's goal.

"I've been in some big matches before, so it's not like I was afraid," Mueller said.

Hummels had risen above Pepe to double Germany's lead with a well-timed header from a corner in the 32nd, and Mueller extended the buffer just before the break when he stripped the ball from Bruno Alves and drilled in a low shot.

The Bayern Munich forward completed the rout late in the second half, poking in from close range after Patricio had fumbled a low cross from substitute Andre Schuerrle. He said the margin should have been bigger.

"We should have used some of our chances better," Mueller said, adding that it was hard to play in midday heat and humidity.

Portugal's chances were limited. Ronaldo fired a powerful free kick late in the match but Neuer punched it away.

Portugal also lost big striker Hugo Almeida to an injury. He was replaced by Eder in the 28th.

Fabio Coentrao injured a groin muscle and was helped off the field in 65th, to be replaced by Andre Almeida.

Hummels then limped off the field with a right-knee injury, giving substitute defender Shkodran Mustafi his second cap.

Germany could have scored more goals after the break but Mario Goetze and Mesut Ozil wasted good chances.

FIFA World Cup: Rio Officer Shoots Live Round During Protests

Rio de Janeiro:

A motorcycle policeman can be seen on an Associated Press video firing what appeared to be a live pistol round at anti-World Cup protesters Sunday near Rio de Janeiro's Maracana soccer stadium.

During the small but violent and chaotic protest that played out about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) from the stadium, another man in plainclothes who identified himself as a police officer also pulled a pistol and fired two shots into the air.

Pedro Dantas, a spokesman for the Rio de Janeiro security secretariat that oversees all security forces, said in a phone interview that if authorities verify the accuracy of the video, "we'll immediately open an investigation into the incident."

A Brazilian during a separate protest against the FIFA World Cup.

© AFP

In a later emailed statement, the secretariat said riot police were hit by Molotov cocktails thrown by protesters. The statement didn't indicate if any officers were hurt.

The action took place around the beginning of the soccer game between Argentina and Bosnia-Herzegovina — the first World Cup match played in Maracana stadium since 1950.

"We're seeing tonight the same police brutality we've seen during the past year, and that's why we have to keep protesting," said Karen Rodrigues, a 23-year-old student at the demonstration that drew around 200 people.

Another protest occurred in the capital, Brasilia, but drew only a handful of participants, and a small protest also was held in Porto Alegre.

Mass protests broke out across Brazil during last year's Confederations Cup soccer tournament, the warm-up to FIFA's premier event. At that time, more than 1 million Brazilians took to the streets on a single day in the largest demonstrations this South American nation had seen in a generation.

But those mass protests died down after about two weeks. Since then, hundreds of smaller, violent protests have been seen across the country, though primarily in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.

The demonstrations have turned violent largely because of the almost constant presence of masked adherents to the "Black Bloc" tactic of protest. Black Bloc is a violent form of protest and vandalism that emerged in the 1980s in West Germany and helped shut down the 1999 World Trade Summit in Seattle.

The masked, young Brazilians are following the main anti-capitalist tenets of earlier versions, routinely smashing the windows of banks and multinational businesses, as happened Sunday night near Maracana.

The protest turned violent as demonstrators left the plaza where they gathered and marched toward the stadium on a main avenue. When they reached a security perimeter about a kilometer (half mile) from the stadium, riot police unleashed tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowd.

The protesters sprinted into a maze of smaller streets as World Cup fans drinking in small bars looked on. As the protesters regrouped and ran down roads, they frightened families with small children pressed themselves against buildings or took refuge in restaurants or taverns.

Before the violence broke out, the protesters marched through streets and chanted "FIFA, go back to Switzerland," referring to international soccer's governing organization. The protesters are angry over the lavish public spending on stadiums for the World Cup while conditions in Brazil's schools and hospitals remain woeful.

F1 legend Michael Schumacher 'out of coma'

F1 champion Michael Schumacher has left hospital in Grenoble and is no longer in a coma, his family says.

The 45-year-old has been transferred to Lausanne's university hospital in Switzerland, officials there say.

Schumacher was placed in a medically induced coma after suffering a severe head injury in a skiing accident in the French Alps on 29 December.

His family thanked people who had sent messages of support, saying: "We are sure it helped him."

They also praised the "excellent job" of medical staff at the hospital in Grenoble, in south-east France.

Doctors had kept the seven-time champion in a coma to help reduce swelling in his brain.

Michael Schumacher had been treated at Grenoble's University Hospital Centre in the French Alps

"Michael has left the CHU Grenoble to continue his long phase of rehabilitation. He is not in a coma anymore," Schumacher's manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement on behalf of his family on Monday.

"For the future we ask for understanding that his further rehabilitation will take place away from the public eye," she said, without giving further details.

Relatives have previously warned that "it was clear from the start that this will be a long and hard fight for Michael".

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the university hospital in Lausanne is one of Switzerland's most renowned hospitals, with all the expertise a patient would need.

But it is not clear what Schumacher's condition is and his process of recovery is still expected to be a long one, our correspondent adds.

Monday's statement was the first substantial update since early April when Ms Kehm said the German racing driver was showing "moments of consciousness and awakening."

Medically induced coma

• Can be induced by powerful anaesthetics and is broadly similar to the sedation and artificial ventilation used during surgery
• Used to shut down many brain functions, lowering blood flow and pressure
• Taking a patient out of an induced coma is a delicate process, especially after a prolonged period of sedation

Meanwhile, the German football team sent their wishes to the F1 legend from the World Cup in Brazil at the weekend.

Lukas Podolski, the Arsenal striker, told a news conference: "I'd like to greet a good friend, who unfortunately is unable to be here. He is Michael Schumacher.

"He is just as crazy about football as all of us. We wish his family a lot of strength. If we win the title, that would be something that would make him happy."

The BBC's James Allen says the reaction from the F1 world has been enormously positive on one level, but the lack of specific details about his condition has left a question mark for many people.

Michael Schumacher

• Born: 3 January 1969
• First GP win: Belgium 1992
• Last GP win: China 2006
• Races started: 303
• Wins: 91 (155 podium finishes)
• Championships: 7 (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Investigators probing last December's accident said Schumacher had been going at the speed of "a very good skier" at the time of his crash in the resort of Meribel.

He had been skiing off-piste when he fell and hit a rock, investigators said.

Schumacher retired from racing in 2012 after a 19-year career.

He won two titles with Benetton, in 1994 and 1995, before switching to Ferrari in 1996 and going on to win five straight titles from 2000.

World Cup 2014: Argentina Defeats Bosnia and Herzegovina

Argentina’s Sergio Agüero, left, and Ermin Bicakcic of Bosnia and Herzegovina battled at Estádio do Maracanã

RIO DE JANEIRO — Lionel Messi can never be the man Argentina wants him to be, since that man is Diego Maradona.

So as Messi competes in his third World Cup, his best hope to win over his countrymen is with victories. The first came Sunday night at Estádio do Maracanã, where Argentina opened Group F play with a 2-1 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The game seemed a microcosm of Messi’s Argentina career, in which he has for years been his country’s best player but rarely its favorite. His jersey was well represented in the boisterously pro-Argentina crowd, and the cheers were deafening when he was introduced and when, less than three minutes later, he created the opening goal with a driven free kick.

But in between ovations he was hectored by defenders, cajoled by the masses and, at one point, even roundly booed after wasting a chance in a 1-0 game.

Still, with one shimmering run across the top of the penalty area and a rocketed shot, Messi won the fans back.

The move took only a moment, but it reminded everyone of what Messi can offer with a tiny bit of space and a burst of uncatchable speed. Taking the ball on the right wing he accelerated past one defender and then nudged the ball around two more. Before anyone could yell for him to shoot the ball, it was gone, pinging in off the left post behind Bosnia goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

As Messi tugged on his jersey and shouted with joy (or was it relief?), the fans danced. As he walked back to midfield for the restart, tens of thousands of them bowed toward his back.

Bosnia added a consolation goal by the American-born striker Vedad Ibisevic in the 85th minute, but that merely paused the adoration of Messi. There was no stopping it.

Bosnia’s first night at the World Cup could not have started much worse. A foul won far out on the left by Argentina’s Sergio Agüero set up a free kick. Messi curled the ball toward Argentina defender Marcos Rojo at the penalty spot, where he flicked it on in the general direction of a teammate. But the ball landed instead at the feet of Bosnia defender Sead Kolasinac, and when it got tangled between them, he awkwardly redirected it into his own net.

Less than three minutes in, Bosnia had been staggered. The team slowly steadied itself by coolly working the ball around, if only to keep it away from Messi, and went on to create some of the half’s best chances: Argentina goalkeeper Sergio Romero dashed off his line to stop Izet Hajrovic in the 13th minute and dived to his left to stop a point-blank header in the 40th.

The teams had met in a friendly in St. Louis in November, with Argentina using a similar five-back formation and two Agüero goals to produce a 2-0 win. But on Sunday, the five-back setup rarely looked defensive; the outside backs, Rojo and Pablo Zabaleta, were often farther forward than even Messi. The problem was that, except for rare occasions, Messi could not find the room to do much with them, or for himself.

The introduction of another striker, Gonzalo Higuaín, at halftime seemed an admission by Coach Alejandro Sabella that Messi needed some better options directly in front of him, or perhaps just someone else for the Bosnian defenders to worry about. But Argentina had qualified with ease in a 4-3-3 formation, and it soon went to work

Agüero found space on the left with increasing regularity, and that began to open the middle. After Agüero won a free kick in the 63rd minute, Messi skied it over the bar, and his fans booed. When he scored minutes later, all was forgiven.

Argentina is hoping this tournament finally brings out the best in Messi, who made his debut in the event with a goal in 2006 and then struggled under Maradona in 2010, when the team’s cluttered attacking formations never brought out his best. Messi, naturally, took more of the blame than Maradona.

Argentina bottomed out at the 2011 Copa América, where Messi was mercilessly booed by his home fans, but he has had a revival under Sabella. Sabella’s first move was to name Messi his captain, and his star responded by leading the team in scoring as it finished first in South American qualifying.

Sabella, a grandfatherly looking man, seems to have made it his top priority to put Messi at ease and in a position to succeed. (His daughter has been less supportive, reportedly telling a radio interviewer this spring that Messi “lacks some of the heart and soul” to play for Argentina, a notion that is quite common there.)

“I believe that Messi knows perfectly what his responsibility is with the national team,” Sabella told the Spanish newspaper Marca before the World Cup. “We all have pressure for being there. We have to leave him relaxed. You do not have to talk with him. He knows it all well.”

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Coaches have said and tried this before. José Pékerman, who is coaching Colombia at this World Cup, ushered a then-teenage Messi onto Argentina’s national team in 2005, at a time when Spain was recruiting him, and coached him in 2006, when he scored his only World Cup goal before Sunday’s.

Pékerman’s face brightened last week when he recalled those days, and he said, “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing” when he first brought in Messi. Pékerman predicted that Messi, now in his prime at 26 despite a disappointing season at Barcelona, was ready to deliver the prize both the player and his country covet: a World Cup in Brazil to match the one Maradona brought home from Mexico in 1986.

“Without doubt,” Pékerman said of Messi, “he and the team can give Argentina another World Cup.”